homeless and looking

[illseeyouin]

Er, no. You literally, about thirty hours ago, read the part where I would actually like to stay at Camp Half-Blood for a while.

Please don't drag me away.

... at least not until after I find out if, um, look, just, ARGH WILL YOU-- please.

Three days. Give me three days.

Comments

[celestial_wizard]

Is your mun looking to pull you way from something important too?

[illseeyouin]

It's not important--

[ Nico shakes his head. ]

--it's just, I need to know about a certain ... thing.

[celestial_wizard]

[ Augh she's curious about the thing. What's the thiiiiiiiiiing?? no, it's probably personal. ]

It's important enough that you were trying to get your mundane to give you an extension.

Did it work?

[illseeyouin]

Ah--

[... scowl]

--no. No, it didn't work. I still don't know. He probably hates me.

[celestial_wizard]

He? .. Who hates you - your mun? I'm sure that's not the reason he isn't going to give you those days.

It's because he likes you that you're around in his headspace, right?

[illseeyouin]

--what? No, my mun doesn't hate me! If she hated me, I wouldn't be here. Oh, if only.

I mean-- [sigh] Look, it's just some kid at camp. Like I said, he probably hates me. He should.

[celestial_wizard]

Oh~! I'm sorry, I was confused.

Um. But why should that boy at camp hate you?

[illseeyouin]

Don't worry about it.

Like I said, he should hate me. I mean, I let someone die...

[celestial_wizard]

... I get the feeling it didn't actually go down like that. If you really 'let' someone die you wouldn't be so troubled over it.

[illseeyouin]

Well ... I mean, I wanted to kill him. I thought about how to do it. And when he actually died -- I didn't stop it.

Isn't that the same?

[celestial_wizard]

I don't really have enough context to say if it is or not. Wanting to kill someone, and letting them die isn't always the same thing. HOw did he die?

[illseeyouin]

...

The weapons he set up against my home friends-- we sabotaged them. They would be slightly off-target. He got his cloak caught up in one and, well, he was ... launched. Into the stratosphere.

[yearrounder]

Are...you okay?

[illseeyouin]

I--

[sigh] I'm fine, thank you, Annabeth. I just thought I might get a chance to, um, stay somewhere and ...

... It's nothing.

[yearrounder]

"Nothing," huh? Exactly how much "nothing?"

[illseeyouin]

A lot of nothing!

[ Nico sighs. Possibly blushes while looking towards the Apollo cabin. ]

...I just have something I need to chase up.

[yearrounder]

[SHE KNOWS, NICO. But is too nice to say it.]

Uh-huh. Need any help with that, or should I just leave you alone?

[illseeyouin]

I don't need any help!

[ Calm down, Nico.

Ah, there it is: another sigh and rueful smile. ]

...I mean, thanks. Thank you. No. I ... need to do this on my own. I think.

[yearrounder]

Are you sure?

[illseeyouin]

[He smiles again. That's twice this year. ]

Yeah.

[beat] ...you'll be here the rest of the year, right?

[yearrounder]

[PROGRESS.]

I was planning on it, yes. Why?

[illseeyouin]

I-- I was just making sure.

In case I don't have a -- friend -- in three days.

[yearrounder]

Nico. He won't hate you.

[illseeyouin]

... you think?

)Not that it matters.)

[yearrounder]

I know for a fact that he won't.

(in which nico means he is grateful for annabeth's input)

[illseeyouin]

Oh.

...okay.

Pffffffft poor Nico

[yearrounder]

You're welcome.

[dontwalkonmyroof]

If you what?

[ Is this about your little crush? It is, is'nt it?]

[illseeyouin]

...

You shouldn't be here.

[dontwalkonmyroof]

And yet, lucky for us both. That's not the case.

[illseeyouin]

I could banish you.

[ That sounds ridiculous. And it is: Sure, Nico could, but he never would. ]

What do you want?

[dontwalkonmyroof]

You could. Though there's no guarantee that would work. Things work different...here. Wherever here is. It's complicated.

[ Don't mind him being a sarcastic asshole.]

Maybe I'm the ghost of Christmas past to help out with your tragic gay crush.

[illseeyouin]

My-- [ Nico laughs. It's a little forced. ] Um, maybe you missed the memo! I already told him. And he's not-- I mean, I got over him.

[ beat

narrowed eyes ] You're distracting me. And you're supposed to be in Elysium.

[dontwalkonmyroof]

You mean he shot you down in the most polite way possible? HUh. Guess Romans really don't do the whole naked oil thing any more. That's a shame. You should deserve the whole blond hero thing. You're cute enough.

[ And he's just going to hold a finger up at that as he gives a little shake of his head.]

I'm helping you. And who says I'm not?

[healingsolace]

[Fashionably late several hours later and probably holding a Starbucks drink, a wild Solace appears.

Oh, someone IS going to give you three days, but no more than that until he goes and drags you. Everyone just drags you around, Nico.]

I was going to say something else, but the first part about liking Camp actually coming out of your dumb mouth was nice to hear. Do it again.

[illseeyouin]

Hey -- I never said I liked Camp. Just that I'd like to stay. Maybe I'm just too lazy to find somewhere better.

...

I mean, okay, maybe it's not the worst place on or under Earth...

[healingsolace]

Okay, fine. It was the wrong conclusion but still, didn't think I'd hear the words "like" and "live" and "camp" in the same sentence anytime soon.

...However, Camp Jupiter would also welcome you.

[illseeyouin]

...oh. Well, yeah, I guess they would. Reyna likes-- well, tolerates-- me, at least. But ... I think I'd prefer to stay here. Out of the two choices.

[ That totally wasn't the most awkward teenage display ever. Totally. ]

Besides, I've practically been put on bed rest by the head medic. How would I get to the West Coast?

[healingsolace]

And I heard you have a sister there, too. Even if you picked our camp -which is awesome!- you should still visit them sometimes. Or send Iris messages.

[To be quite honest, Will isn't entirely sure why Nico'd picked CHB over CJ when Hazel and Reyna are. He's definitely not complaining, though. He's really happy about it, despite being a bit puzzled.

And also, he's smiling smugly for that last part. You're picking up.]

That's correct. And I'll tell you how you're not going to get to the West Coast: by shadow traveling. We have to solve that deadly problem first.

[spiritedbow]

Good luck. These people don't usually like listening.

[illseeyouin]

... Bianca! I thought you'd gone. I thought--

[ Well, he thought a lot of things. And, though he wouldn't admit it out loud ... he got over those thoughts. It took a while, and is still ongoing, but here he is: a brooding young adult with a mild sister complex, not just an angry child seeking revenge. ]

...uh, no, they don't like listening. Is that why you're here? Your mun wouldn't listen to you either, huh?

[spiritedbow]

No, I'm--here, Nico. I'm still here.

[ She's not really sure what else to say. She feels like she should comfort him, or be more reassuring in some way, but he's not the little brother she grew up taking care of, anymore, and so she hesitates, not sure how to proceed. ]

But yeah, that's why I'm stuck in this place. It wouldn't be so bad if she thought about sending me somewhere nice for once, but I guess...there's not really much I can do about that.

[illseeyouin]

[ He smiles. That's rare, these days; a relic lost to childhood just like his Mythomagic cards. But -- Bianca's here. However that works. So he smiles before he can even think about it. ]

I'm glad to see you. I searched the Underworld for so long...

--I think "muns" are like Greek gods sometimes -- they arrange things for their own amusement. We probably need to outmanoeuvre them.

[spiritedbow]

[ Bianca returns the smile, but hers is a little hesitant. Not because she's not happy to see him, she is. She just feels terrible about everything that happened, and it leaves her with a lot of conflicting emotions. ]

I'm sorry, Nico. [ She had to leave the underworld. Hazel was the one that needed to be raised from the dead, not her. ]

Probably. I don't suppose you have any ideas?